Protective undergarment configured for improved handling

ABSTRACT

A protective undergarment is provided according to exemplary aspects of this invention. The undergarment includes a waist portion adapted to encircle the waist of a user. The undergarment also includes a crotch portion having an end segment extending from the waist portion, a central segment, and a terminal end segment attachable to the waist portion. The terminal end segment of the crotch portion extends substantially perpendicular to the waist portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a U.S. National Phase of International Application No.PCT/US02/22703 filed Jul. 18, 2002.

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/305,897 by Fredrica Coates, filed Jul. 18, 2001, titled UNISEXSTRETCH PROTECTIVE UNDERWEAR, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to protective undergarments. More specifically,it relates to protective undergarments configured for improved handling,such as those for wheelchair-bound or bedridden patients.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of absorbent articles, such as protective undergarments, hasincreased steadily for many years. Early uses, such as diapers forbabies and sanitary products for women, have in recent years been joinedby an increasing demand for products designed to deal with incontinenceissues for adults, frequently brought on by advanced age, obesity, or avariety of medical conditions. At the same time, markets have grown inall of these areas for both disposable and reusable products, dependingon the preferences of the consumer.

Disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers and pads for example, arein widespread use throughout the world as a result of their convenience.They provide substantial advantages and convenience over absorbentarticles that have to be laundered and reused, particularly when theabsorbent articles are used away from home. In recent years, manydifferent disposable absorbent articles have been proposed and some havebeen very successful in the marketplace. However, even currentsuccessful products leave room for improvement.

To promote preservation of the environment, some consumers desire toreturn to the use of reusable, rather than disposable, absorbentarticles such as infant and adult diapers. A recent improvement toreusable diapers is in the replacement of pin fasteners by fasteners offilamentary material, such as hook and loop filamentary materialsmanufactured by Velcro Corporation and Aplix Corporation. In thisregard, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,591 to Coates,incorporated herein by reference, which discloses a cloth diaper havingfilamentary fasteners together with a self-closing tab cover thatprotects the fasteners from buildup of lint during washing.

Whether for reusable or disposable products, various fastening systemshave been employed for fastening the absorbent products to the wearer orto the clothing of the wearer. For example, the waistband of a diaper ispreferably fastened around the waist of the wearer, and the fasteningsystem is generally intended to hold the diaper in snug encirclingfashion on the wearer's torso. After the diaper is soiled, it is removedby unfastening the tabs, thereby opening the waist.

The configuration of reusable and/or disposable products for adults,especially the infirm or obese, and/or those with limited dexterity, isadditionally made difficult by the size and weight of the person wearingthe garment. These factors hinder the donning and doffing of protectiveundergarments having traditional configurations. For example, it isextremely inconvenient for a caregiver to be required to remove anundergarment just to see if a change is needed, particularly if theundergarment is being worn by a large and/or immobile person. Thus therecontinues to be a need for undergarments affording easier access forchecking, and greater facility of donning and doffing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A protective undergarment is provided according to exemplary aspects ofthis invention. The undergarment includes a waist portion adapted toencircle the waist of a user. The undergarment also includes a crotchportion having an end segment extending from the waist portion, acentral segment, and a terminal end segment attachable to the waistportion. The terminal end segment of the crotch portion extendssubstantially perpendicular to the waist portion.

According to another aspect of this invention, a protective undergarmentis provided including a waist portion adapted to encircle the waist of auser, wherein the waist portion comprises end segments. The protectiveundergarment also includes a crotch portion comprising an end segmentextending from the waist portion, a central segment, and a terminal endsegment attachable to the waist portion. The terminal end segmentextends substantially perpendicular to the waist portion, and theterminal end segment of the crotch portion is no wider than the centralsegment. Each of the end segments of the waist portion is configured forengagement to at least one of the terminal end segment of the crotchportion and the other of the end segments of the waist portion. Uponengagement, the end segments of the waist portion and the terminal endsegment of the crotch portion engage one another in a common region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention is best understood from the following detailed descriptionwhen read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasizedthat, according to common practice, the various features of the drawingsare not rendered to any particular proportion or scale. On the contrary,the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded orreduced for clarity. Included in the drawings are the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention showing the undergarment open in the position that would allowa caregiver to change the pad or check to see if the pad needs changing.

FIG. 2 is a view of the undergarment of FIG. 1, as it would be worn.

FIG. 3 is a view of another exemplary embodiment of the invention,comprising snaps for leg closures, as the garment would be worn.

FIG. 4 is a view of still another exemplary embodiment of the invention,as it would be worn, showing a hand positioned to disengage the crotchportion from the waist portion.

FIG. 5 is a view of yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention,indicating the position of sleeves for retaining an absorbent pad.

FIG. 6 is a view of another exemplary embodiment of the invention,showing a waist portion that can be opened, and showing the crotchportion opened.

FIG. 7 is a view of an exemplary embodiment of a protectiveundergarment, according to aspects of the invention, with an openablewaist portion, with the crotch portion partially open and leg openingsdefined by leg securing means comprising snaps.

FIG. 8 is a view of another exemplary embodiment of the invention withan open waist portion and the crotch portion disengaged, adapted toallow inter-attachment of two waist portion end segments and a terminalcrotch end segment in a common region.

FIG. 9 is a view of still another exemplary embodiment of a protectiveundergarment according to aspects of the invention.

FIG. 9A is another view of the undergarment illustrated in FIG. 9showing additional exemplary features.

FIG. 10 is another view of the protective undergarment illustrated inFIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary features of selected embodiments of this invention will now bedescribed with reference to the figures. It will be appreciated that thespirit and scope of the invention is not limited to the embodimentsselected for illustration. It is contemplated that any of theconfigurations and materials described hereafter can be modified withinthe scope of this invention.

Referring to the figures generally, a protective undergarment, such asundergarments 10, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810, and 910, isprovided. The undergarment 10, for example, includes a waist portion 14adapted to encircle the waist of a user. The undergarment 10 alsoincludes a crotch portion 12 comprising an end segment 11 extending fromthe waist portion 14, a central segment 13, and a terminal end segment15 attachable to the waist portion 14. The terminal end segment 15extends substantially perpendicular to the waist portion 14.

The waist portion 14 of the protective undergarment 10 optionallyincludes end segments (such as end segments 838, 840 in FIG. 9) eachbeing configured for engagement to at least one of the terminal endsegment 15 of the crotch portion 12 and the other of the end segments ofthe waist portion 14. Upon engagement, the optional end segments of thewaist portion 14 and the terminal end segment 15 of the crotch portion12 engage one another in a common region.

Each of the end segments of the waist portion 14 and the terminal endsegment 15 of the crotch portion 12 comprises a surface configured forengagement to at least one of the other end segments and a surfaceconfigured to be engaged by at least one of the other end segments. Atleast one of the end segments of the waist portion 14 and the terminalend segment 15 of the crotch portion 12 optionally includes hooks on thesurface configured for engagement, and the surface configured to beengaged is configured for engagement by hooks.

The protective undergarment 10 is optionally arranged such that thesurface configured for engagement and the surface configured to beengaged on of each of the end segments of the waist and crotch portions14, 12 are positioned such that the end segments can be engaged in anyorder. Also, the terminal end segment 15 of the crotch portion 12 of theprotective undergarment 10 is optionally narrower than the centralsegment 13 of the crotch portion 12.

The waist and crotch portions 14, 12 optionally form a substantially “T”shaped configuration when the end segments of the waist and crotchportions 14, 12 are disengaged and the waist and crotch portions 14, 12are extended. Additionally, the waist portion 14 and crotch portion 12of the protective undergarment 10 together define leg openings 16 whenthe terminal end segment 15 of the crotch portion 12 is attached to thewaist portion 14, and the protective undergarment 10 optionally includesat least one member 32 for engagement between the crotch portion 12 andthe waist portion 14. If used, the engagement member 32 is optionallypositioned to adjust the size of at least one of the leg openings. Theengagement member 32 is optionally attached to, or extends from, thecrotch portion 12 of said protective undergarment 10.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, indicated generally at 10, which is configured to be worn bya user (not shown). Undergarment 10 includes a crotch portion 12 and awaist portion 14. The crotch portion 12 has an end segment 11 attachedto waist portion 14, a central portion 13, and a detachable or terminalend segment 15, which in this embodiment is narrower in its width thancentral portion 13. Along the edges of waist portion 14 and centralportion 13 there may be elastic borders, indicated at 18.

Located inside the undergarment 10 on crotch portion 12 is a padretaining portion 21, which in the instant embodiment includes a pair ofelastic sleeves 22, although any pad retaining means known in the artmay be used. An absorbent pad 24 fits in and under these sleeves 22 andis thus held in place.

Crotch portion engaging means are shown at 26 on waist portion 14, andwaist portion engaging means are shown at 28 on terminal end segment 15.Outer leg securing means are shown at 32 on central crotch portion 13,and inner leg securing means are indicated at 30 on waist portion 14. Inthe embodiment shown, outer leg securing means 32 comprise a hook region31 surrounded by a region 33 substantially devoid of hooks, but othertypes of fasteners may be used.

The pad 24 and the entire garment 10 may be disposable, or may bewashable and reusable. Alternatively, in the case of a fully disposableundergarment, the pad 24 may be permanently attached to the crotchportion, for example by sewing or via the use of an adhesive, in whichcase optional elastic sleeves 22 may not be present.

Engaging means 26, 28 and leg securing means 30 and 32 may be anyfastener conventionally used in the fastening art for garmentapplications, including but not limited to adhesives, hooks, or snapsand the like. For example, they may each include a surface carryinghooks and a surface engageable by hooks. Such surfaces include, but arenot limited to, woven and non-woven materials comprising polypropylene,polyethylene, polyester, NYLON, or RAYON. Optionally, the hooks may beengageable by loops. Such products are for example available from theVelcro Corporation under the mark VELCRO.

Also optionally, the engaging means may comprise a double-sided fastenerwherein there are opposite surfaces, one of which has hooks and theother of which has loops or other material capable of engaging hooks.Incorporating such a feature in two or more locations designed to beattached to each other may allow the user to lay the fastener parts downin a variable sequence, accommodating individual preferences, e.g., forleft- or right-handed users.

Additionally, a double-sided fastener may further be constructed suchthat hooks are positioned in a region to define a border between an edgeportion of the fastening means and the hooks, the border beingcompletely or substantially devoid of hooks and the border substantiallysurrounding said region. Such an arrangement is shown at 32 in FIG. 1and may, by forming a buffer area around the hook region, reduceunwanted contact of the hook region with the user's skin. Such fastenersmay optionally be used for any of the engagement means 26 and 28 and legsecuring means 30 and 32. Fastening tabs of this type are disclosed in aco-pending PCT patent application by the same applicant, filed Jul. 15,2002, and titled DISPOSABLE AND REUSABLE PROTECTIVE UNDERGARMENTS, whichis incorporated herein by reference.

The engaging means may be coupled to, or integral with, the structuralelements upon which they reside. Although FIG. 1 shows engaging means 26as a pair of elements, and engaging means 28 and leg securing means 30and 32 are shown as individual elements, any of these may comprise asingle element or a plurality of elements.

Depending on cost, performance requirements, particular uses, andmanufacturing considerations, various materials can be selected for usein absorbent articles according to this invention. U.S. Pat. No.6,004,893 to Van Tilburg, which is incorporated herein by reference,describes a variety of such materials and associated constructions.

For example, absorbent pad 24 may be provided with a topsheet that isliquid permeable and, when the article is in use, is in close proximityto the skin of the user. If used, the topsheet is preferably compliant,soft feeling and non-irritating to the user's skin. Such topsheets canbe made from any of the materials conventional for this type of use.Non-limiting examples of suitable materials that can be used as atopsheet are woven and non-woven polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene,NYLON, and RAYON and formed thermoplastic films. Suitable films aredescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,246 to Mullane and Smithand U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,314 to Radel and Thompson, both of which patentsare incorporated herein by reference. Formed films may be selected forthe topsheet because they are pervious to liquids and yet non-absorbent.Thus, the surface of the formed film, which is in contact with the body,remains substantially dry and is more comfortable to the wearer.

If a topsheet is used, its inner surface may be secured in contactingrelation to an absorbent core. This contacting relationship results inliquid penetrating the topsheet faster than if it were not in contactwith the absorbent core. The topsheet can be maintained in contact withthe absorbent core by applying adhesive, optionally in spaced, limitedareas, to an inner surface of the topsheet. Examples of suitableadhesives used for this purpose include the acrylic emulsion E-1833BTmanufactured by Rohm and Haas Company of Philadelphia, Pa. and acrylicemulsions manufactured by H. B. Fuller Company of St. Paul, Minn. Alsocontemplated are thermoplastic hot melt adhesives such as 34-563A,available from National Starch, Inc.

Absorbent pad 24 includes an absorbent core that is generallycompressible, conformable, and non-irritating to the user's skin. It cancomprise any material used in the art for such purpose. Examples ofsuitable materials are layers of tissue (such as wadding), fibratedcomminution pulp (e.g., airfelt), cotton, cellulose acetate, and any ofthese in combination with a superabsorbent polymer.

Crotch portion 12 preferably comprises a material that is impervious toliquids and thus prevents bodily fluids and feces from soiling theclothing of the user. Any material used in the art for such purposes canbe utilized herein. Suitable materials include embossed or non-embossedpolyethylene and polypropylene films and laminated tissue and non-wovenmaterials.

Exemplary materials and constructions for reusable absorbent articlesare described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,122 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,583,both issued to Coates, both of which are incorporated herein byreference. Additional materials and constructions are well known in theart of reusable absorbent articles.

FIG. 2 shows the same exemplary embodiment 10 of the invention as inFIG. 1, in a closed conformation such as would be the case when beingworn by a user (not shown). Crotch portion 12 has been pulled up so thatterminal end segment 15 connects to waist portion 14 at crotch engagingmeans 26, and outer leg securing means 32 connects to waist portion 14at inner leg securing means 30 (not shown). The resulting conformationhas leg openings 16, in this embodiment bearing optional elastic borders18.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the protective undergarment 210where the outer leg securing means 232 comprise a snap 234 attached toinner leg securing means 230 (not shown), which comprises acomplementary snap component.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the invention, generallydesignated by the numeral 310, in closed conformation, with a hand 336positioned to disengage crotch portion 312 from waist portion 314.

FIG. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment of the invention, generallydesignated by the numeral 410, in closed conformation. Outer legsecuring means 432 comprise an adhesive strip, and elastic sleevesdesigned to hold a detachable absorbent pad (not shown) are indicated at422.

Turning now to FIG. 6, there is shown another embodiment of theinvention, generally designated by the numeral 510, in which waistportion 514 comprises first and second end segments 538 and 540, shownhere with segment 538 overlapping segment 540. End segment 538 bears acrotch portion engaging means 526 and end segment 540 bears a crotchportion engaging means 526′, capable of attaching to waist portionengaging means 528 and 528′ respectively on detachable end segment 515.In this embodiment, crotch engaging means 526 comprises a singleelement, shown here as a strip, while 526′ comprises two elements, oneof which engages 528′ and the other of which (hidden from view) engagesthe back of segment 538, affording closure of waist portion 514 aroundthe user.

Outer leg securing means 532 bearing snaps 534 are shown in the engagedposition with inner leg securing means 530, which in this embodimentincludes two snaps on each side to afford adjustability. Although notrequired, this embodiment comprises elastic sleeves 522 for holding inplace absorbent pad 524, which may be disposable or reusable.

FIG. 7 shows, with the crotch in partially closed conformation, anotherexemplary embodiment of the invention, generally designated by thenumeral 610, in which waist portion 614 comprises first and second endsegments 638 and 640, shown here with segment 638 overlapping segment640. End segment 638 bears a crotch portion engaging means 626 and endsegment 640 bears a crotch portion engaging means 626′, both of whichare capable of attaching to waist portion engaging means 628, shown hereas a single element on detachable end segment 615. In this embodiment,crotch engaging means 626 comprises a single element, shown here as astrip, while 626′ comprises two elements, one of which engages 628 andthe other of which (hidden from view) engages the back of segment 638,affording closure of waist portion 614 around the user. Outer legsecuring means 632 bearing snaps 634 are shown in the engaged positionwith inner leg securing means 630 (not shown), thereby forming leg holesor openings 616.

Turning now to FIG. 8, there is shown another exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, indicated generally at 710. Undergarment 710 includes acrotch portion, generally indicated at 712, and a waist portion 714,which comprises first and second end segments 738 and 740. End segment738 is shown folded over to reveal features present on the reverse side.Crotch portion 712 has an end segment 711 attached to waist portion 714,a central portion 713, and a detachable end segment 715, which in thisembodiment is narrower than central portion 713. Overall, crotch portion712 extends perpendicular to waist portion 714.

Located inside the undergarment 710 on crotch portion 712 is a padretaining means 722, which in the instant embodiment is a pair ofelastic sleeves 722, although any pad retaining means known in the artmay be used. An absorbent pad 724 fits in and under these sleeves 722and is thus held in place. Pad 724 may be either disposable or reusable.

First and second engaging means are shown at 726 and 726′ on endsegments 738 and 740 respectively of waist portion 714, and a thirdengaging means is shown at 728 on detachable end segment 715. In thisfigure, 726 is shown on top and 726′ and 728 are to be understood as outof view, on the far side of undergarment 710. Also shown are first andsecond engageable means 742 and 742′, on end segments 738 and 740 and onthe reverse side from engaging means 726 and 726′, respectively. Thirdengageable means 744 is shown on detachable end segment 715, on thereverse side from engaging means 728.

The first, second, and third engaging means 726, 726′ and 728, and thecorresponding engageable means 742, 742′ and 744 may be any fastenerconventionally practiced in the fastening art for garment applications,including but not limited to adhesives, hooks, or snaps. In FIG. 8, thefirst, second and third engaging means comprise hooks, and the first,second and third engageable means comprise loops. Alternatively theengageable means may comprise woven and non-woven materials comprisingpolypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, NYLON, or RAYON, although thislisting is not exclusive or limiting. Advantageously, the hooks may beengageable by loops or by other hooks or by other engageable materials.Such products are for example available from the Velcro Corporationunder the mark VELCRO.

Also advantageously, the engaging means may comprise a double-sidedfastener wherein there are opposite surfaces, one of which has anengaging surface and the other having a surface engageable by featuresbearing such an engaging surface. For example, the engaging surface maycomprise hooks and the engageable surface may comprise loops or othermaterial capable of engaging hooks. Incorporating such a feature in twoor more locations designed to be attached to each other may allow theuser to lay the fastener parts down in a variable sequence,accommodating individual preferences, e.g. for left- or right-handedusers.

It is recognized that it may be advantageous to orient hooks, if suchfastening means are used, so that they face away from the skin of thewearer in order to reduce any discomfort. However, it is also recognizedthat the hooks or other engagement devices may face the wearer's body.

Additionally, a double-sided fastener may further be constructed suchthat hooks are positioned in a region to define a border between an edgeportion of the fastening means and the hooks, the border being at leastpartially devoid of hooks and the border substantially surrounding saidregion. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 8, where all of theengaging means 726, 726′ and 728 are of a smaller size than the segments738, 740, and 715, respectively, upon which they reside. Thus a borderis created around each of these, thereby reducing unwanted contact ofthe hook region with the user's skin. Fasteners of this type aredisclosed in a co-pending PCT patent application by the same applicant,filed Jul. 15, 2002, and titled DISPOSABLE AND REUSABLE PROTECTIVEUNDERGARMENTS, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The engaging means may be coupled to, or integral with, the structuralelements upon which they reside. Although FIG. 8 shows engaging means726, 726′ and 728 as individual elements, any of these may comprise asingle element or a plurality of elements. In addition, although FIG. 8shows the engaging means and the engageable means as circles of smallersize and squares of larger size, respectively, other shapes and sizes ofany of these may be used, in any combination. As well, engageable means742, 742′, and 744 may comprise the material of construction of waistportion 714 or crotch portion 712, without attaching separate materialfor the sake of engageability.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 has the advantage that first and secondend segments 738 and 740, and detachable end segment 715, can beattached to each other by sequentially laying one on top of the next inany order, such that all three meet in a common region. This mayfacilitate donning of the garment by a user with limited dexterity.

Turning now to FIG. 9, there is shown another exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, indicated generally at 810. Undergarment 810 includes acrotch portion generally indicated at 812, and a waist portion 814,which comprises first and second end segments 838 and 840. End segment838 is shown folded over to reveal features present on the reverse side.Crotch portion 812 has an end segment 811 attached to waist portion 814,a central portion 813, and a detachable end segment 815, which in thisembodiment is narrower than central portion 813. Overall, crotch portion812 extends substantially perpendicular to waist portion 814. Anabsorbent pad 824 is attached to or integral with crotch portion 812.

End segment 838 comprises a loop area 846 and a hook area 850, thereverse side of which is shown. End segment 840 comprises a loop portion848, the reverse side of which is shown. Terminal end segment 815comprises a hook region 828, which is engageable with loop area 846.Crotch portion 812 comprises hook portion 832, which is engageable withloop portion 830.

FIG. 9A shows additional details of the protective undergarment 810shown in FIG. 9. For example, FIG. 9A shows an elastic border 852 alongthe edges of crotch portion 812 and/or waist portion 814. Also, waistportion 814 may include an elastic material for fit and comfort. Also,further details of the construction of the undergarment 810 are shown.

FIG. 10 is another view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, with endsegment 838 extended and end segment 940 folded over. There is shownloop area 852 on end segment 840, which is engageable with hook area 828on terminal end segment 815, and loop area 848, which is engageable withhook area 850 on end segment 838.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein withreference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to belimited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be madein the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claimsand without departing from the invention. For example, although certainembodiments disclosed herein are configured for reusable applications,the features of those embodiments apply equally to disposable products.Likewise, although certain embodiments disclosed herein are configuredfor disposable applications, the features of those embodiments applyequally to reusable products.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be understood that such embodiments areprovided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes andsubstitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that theappended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit andscope of the invention. Having described the invention, we now claim thefollowing and their equivalents.

1. A protective undergarment comprising: a waist portion adapted toencircle the waist of a user, wherein said waist portion comprises endsegments; and a crotch portion comprising an end segment extending fromsaid waist portion, a central segment, and a terminal end segmentattachable to said waist portion, said terminal end segment extendingsubstantially perpendicular to said waist portion; wherein each of saidend segments of said waist portion and said terminal end segment of saidcrotch portion comprises a body facing surface positionable against thebody of the user and a surface opposite said body facing surface; afastener positioned on said body facing surface of each waist portionend segment and the terminal end segment; a fastener positioned on saidopposite surface of each waist portion end segment and the terminal endsegment; each fastener positioned on said opposite surface beingconfigured for engagement to a fastener positioned on said body facingsurface of at least one of said other end segments, and each fastenerpositioned on said body facing surface being configured to be engaged bya fastener positioned on said opposite surface of at least one of saidother end segments; and wherein said fasteners of said body facingsurface and said fasteners of said opposite surface are positioned suchthat said end segments and said terminal end segment are configured tobe engaged in any order.
 2. The protective undergarment of claim 1wherein, upon engagement, said fasteners of said end segments of saidwaist portion and said terminal end segment of said crotch portionengage one another in a common region.
 3. The protective undergarment ofclaim 2 wherein, upon engagement, said fasteners of said end segments ofsaid waist portion and said terminal end segment of said crotch portionoverlap one another in said common region.
 4. The protectiveundergarment of claim 2, wherein said waist and crotch portions form asubstantially “T” shaped configuration when said end segments of saidwaist and crotch portions are disengaged and said waist and crotchportions are extended.
 5. The protective undergarment of claim 1 whereinat least one of said fasteners positioned on said opposite surfacecomprises hooks configured for engagement, and at least one of saidfasteners positioned on said body facing surface is configured forengagement by hooks.
 6. The protective undergarment of claim 1 whereineach of said fasteners positioned on said opposite surface comprisehooks configured for engagement, and each of said fasteners positionedon said body facing surface is configured for engagement by hooks. 7.The protective undergarment of claim 1 wherein the fasteners of said endsegments of said waist portion are configured for engagement to oneanother, and the fasteners of said terminal end segment and said endsegments of said waist portion are configured for engagement to oneanother.
 8. The protective undergarment of claim 1 wherein said terminalend segment of said crotch portion is narrower than said central segmentof said crotch region.
 9. The protective undergarment of claim 1wherein, upon engagement, said fasteners of said end segments of saidwaist portion and said terminal end segment of said crotch portionengage one another in a common region; and wherein said terminal endsegment of said crotch portion is narrower than said central segment ofsaid crotch portion.
 10. The protective undergarment of claim 1, saidwaist portion and said crotch portion together defining leg openingswhen said terminal end segment of said crotch portion is attached tosaid waist portion, said protective undergarment further comprising atleast one member for engagement between said crotch portion and saidwaist portion, said engagement member being positioned to adjust thesize of at least one of said leg openings.
 11. The protectiveundergarment of claim 10, said protective undergarment comprising anengagement member positioned to adjust the size of each of said legopenings.
 12. The protective undergarment of claim 10, said engagementmember extending from said crotch portion of said protectiveundergarment.
 13. A protective undergarment comprising: a waist portionadapted to encircle the waist of a user, wherein said waist portioncomprises end segments; a crotch portion comprising an end segmentextending from said waist portion, a central segment, and a terminal endsegment attachable to said waist portion, said terminal end segmentextending substantially perpendicular to said waist portion, whereinsaid terminal end segment of said crotch portion is no wider than saidcentral segment; wherein each of said end segments of said waist portionand said terminal end segment of said crotch portion comprises a bodyfacing surface positionable against the body of the user and a surfaceopposite said body facing surface; a fastener positioned on said bodyfacing surface of each end waist portion segment and the terminal endsegment; a fastener positioned on said opposite surface of each endwaist portion segment and the terminal end segment; each fastenerpositioned on said opposite surface being configured for engagement to afastener positioned on said body facing surface of at least one of saidother end segments, and each fastener positioned on said body facingsurface being configured to be engaged by a fastener positioned on saidopposite surface of at least one of said other end segments; andwherein, upon engagement, said end segments of said waist portion andsaid terminal end segment of said crotch portion engage one another in acommon region; and wherein said fasteners of said body facing surfaceand said fasteners of said opposite surface are positioned such thatsaid end segments and said terminal end segment are configured to beengaged in any order.
 14. The protective undergarment of claim 13wherein each of said fasteners of said opposite surface comprise hooksconfigured for engagement, and each of said fasteners of said bodyfacing surface is configured for engagement by hooks.
 15. The protectiveundergarment of claim 13 wherein fasteners of said end segments of saidwaist portion are configured for engagement to one another, and saidfasteners of said terminal end segment of said crotch portion and saidend segments of said waist portion are configured for engagement to oneanother.
 16. The protective undergarment of claim 13, wherein said waistand crotch portions form a substantially “T” shaped configuration whensaid end segments of said waist and crotch portions are disengaged andsaid waist and crotch portions are extended.